Editor's note: Every NFL team is preparing to attack its offseason to-do list, with free agency set to open March 12 and the draft April 25-27. This is the 21st of 32 reports in 32 days by Sporting News NFL correspondents, who will analyze the offseason game plan for each team. Thursday: Indianapolis Colts. Friday: Jacksonville Jaguars.

TALENT OVERVIEW

After finishing with a franchise-best 12-4 record, earning a second consecutive AFC South title and winning a playoff game for the second season in a row, the Houston Texans don’t have a lot of needs on both sides of the ball or special teams.

The Texans believe they can contend for the Super Bowl again. They have talent on both sides of the ball, including nine players who played in the Pro Bowl. Coach Gary Kubiak enters his eighth season, and his staff returns intact for the first time. The players know the offensive and defensive schemes. They’re playoff-tested with a 2-2 record in the last two postseasons.

The Texans’ philosophy won’t change. They’ll retool the roster through the draft and fill some backup needs with cheaper free agents. They don’t have room under the cap to acquire an expensive free agent.

KEY DEPARTURES

Cody, 30, a starter for four seasons, underwent back surgery after the season. He played hurt most of 2012, and backup Earl Mitchell actually got more playing time. The Texans believe Mitchell is ready to become a starter.

James, 32, signed a one-year deal and started 15 games, playing as well as possible at this stage of his career. Veteran Darryl Sharpton, who ended the last two seasons on injured reserve, will get a shot to start opposite Brian Cushing. If not Sharpton, the starter will be an inexpensive free agent or a draft choice.

Others not expected to return are players who have started games because of injuries—guard Antoine Caldwell, offensive tackle Rashad Butler and inside linebacker Tim Dobbins.

NEEDS/TARGETS

1. Wide receiver. The Texans must get a wide receiver who can play opposite Andre Johnson and stretch the field. Johnson and Kevin Walter, the other current starter, will be 32 when training camp begins. Although Johnson had a tremendous season with 112 catches for 1,598 yards, he and Walter combined for only six touchdowns.

Because the Texans don’t have cap dollars to sign a top free agent, they’re going to use a high draft choice—27th overall—on a receiver. They like receivers who are tall and fast and have their eye on Baylor’s Terrance Williams, Clemson’s DeAndre Hopkins, California’s Keenan Allen and Louisiana Tech’s Quinton Patton.

2. Offensive tackle. They have only two under contract—Pro Bowl starter Duane Brown on the left side and Derek Newton on the right. Newton, a seventh-round pick in 2011, was forced into the lineup last season after Eric Winston was waived for cap reasons and Butler suffered a season-ending injury in training camp. The Texans could use a second-round pick on an offensive tackle such as Oregon’s Kyle Long, Florida State’s Menelik Watson or Tennessee’s Dallas Thomas.

3. Outside linebacker. This position will be addressed only if the Texans lose Connor Barwin in free agency. They want to re-sign him even though he had only three sacks in 2012. If he signs with another team, last year’s first-round pick, Whitney Mercilus, would be elevated to the starting spot opposite Brooks Reed.

In that scenario, the team could use a second- or third-round pick on a player who could be part of the rotation like Mercilus was last season. Coming of the bench, Mercilus had six sacks, which tied Reed’s team rookie record. The Texans have their eye on prospects like Kansas State’s Arthur Brown, Southern Mississippi’s Jamie Collins, Rutgers’ Khaseem Greene and Connecticut’s Sio Moore.

4. Free safety. One of the top two priorities is to re-sign Glover Quin. He’s a four-year starter—the first two at cornerback—and can play either safety position. He can run with receivers and tight ends and play near the line of scrimmage like a linebacker. The Texans have no backup on the roster who can do what he does. If they let him go, they would have to find a replacement and teach him what Quin already knows, which is why they’re willing to overpay Quin. If a team is going to pay too much, it should do so with a player currently on the roster because it knows what it has.

5. Nose tackle. Mitchell, who has been rotating with Cody, is ready to become a starter. But with Cody, a free agent, likely to depart, the team will need another nose tackle to rotate with Mitchell. The Texans will have to find a veteran who’ll play for close to the minimum or use a mid-to-late round draft choice on a rookie who’s good enough to give Mitchell a breather. The highest they would draft a nose tackle would be the fourth or fifth round, and he would have to fit Wade Phillips’ one-gap scheme. Phillips wants his nose tackle to slant and get up the field and tie up blockers.

MCCLAIN’S TAKE

The Texans have enough talent on both sides of the ball to become a Super Bowl contender again. Seven offensive players played in the Pro Bowl, and defensive tackle J.J. Watt was voted NFL Defensive Player of the Year. Cushing, a difference-maker at inside linebacker, will return from a torn ACL. The Texans were 5-0 at the time he was lost last season. Johnathan Joseph is a shutdown cornerback who’s been in the Pro Bowl the past two years.

Owner Bob McNair told coach Gary Kubiak he wants his team to be mentally tougher in 2013. When drafting and signing free agents—not to mention re-signing veterans—general manager Rick Smith has to keep in mind who’s mentally tough and who isn’t. That characteristic must be commonplace in players the Texans acquire.

John McClain covers the Texans for Sporting News and the Houston Chronicle.